Works & Process Announces Fall 2026 Season

Championing artists and their creative process at each step from studio to stage, so that performing artists can create with dignity––Works & Process announces its dynamic fall 2026 season. Taking place at Guggenheim New York, Manhattan West, and Free Food Refettorio Harlem, the season features premieres, rotunda dance parties, creative residencies, and performances that extend beyond the stage, inviting audiences to spectate, participate, and continue the conversation at hosted receptions.

The season kicks off on September 9 with Gather Round: Let’s Dance!, a free outdoor series presented in partnership with Manhattan West. Every Wednesday in September at 5 pm, New York City–based dancers and choreographers will celebrate social dance traditions through performances, instruction, and open dance parties.

SCUFF Queer Country Dancing returns for a Works & Process rotunda dance party at Guggenheim New York presented in partnership with the museum’s Member Monday program. Guests are invited to explore the Guggenheim’s rotunda galleries before taking part in a participatory dance lesson and party.

Across four nights in October, Works & Process will present pop-up performances by the MasterZ at Work Dance Family at Free Food Refettorio Harlem, New York City’s only free restaurant. The organization opens its doors to serve vulnerable neighbors, steward a healthier, more just food system, and celebrate the cultural heritage and diversity around us. A Works & Process commission, The 24/7 Diner by Black trans femme choreographer and ballroom Icon Courtney “Balenciaga” Washington envisions an all-night diner open to all. Blending street dance and theatrical storytelling, the work explores chosen family, resilience, and joy as acts of resistance, rooted in the spirit of ballroom culture. Like Refettorio Harlem, the work centers food as a source of both physical and metaphorical nourishment.

Beyond New York City, Works & Process continues its commitment to artist development through more than 25 fully funded creative residencies annually. Spanning Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Vermont, the program builds on the acclaimed bubble residencies launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the residency program began, Works & Process has supported over 1,000 artists through more than 100 residencies; many of which have received prestigious awards and toured nationally and internationally, including with the U.S. State Department. This fall, five Works & Process commissions will continue touring, further amplifying the voices and visions nurtured through these residencies. ­

A detailed schedule of events is outlined below.

General ticketing starts August 11 at worksandprocess.org.

FALL 2026 SEASON AT A GLANCE

WORKS & PROCESS AT GUGGENHEIM NEW YORK

1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128

Tickets starting at $15

Peter B. Lewis Theater: Performance Highlights, Illuminating Discussions, with Artist Receptions

• September 14: Paul Taylor Dance Company: Pam Tanowitz and Sarah Crowner
• September 27: Works & Process Co-Commission: KEIGWIN + COMPANY: Stage Door – ArtYard
• October 4: Miami City Ballet: Patricia Delgado
• October 5: The Metropolitan Opera: Lincoln in the Bardo by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek
• October 12: Minnesota Opera: The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Kamala Sankaram and Minita Gandhi
• October 18: Washington National Opera: O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky by Christopher Tin and Kelley Rourke, Choreography by Jessica Lang
• October 26: The Santa Fe Opera: Of One Blood by Brett Dean and Heather Betts
• November 2: Eugene O’Neill Theater Center: Robert O’Hara
• November 16: VOX: American Voices Opera Lab
• December 5, 6, 11, 12, and 13: Works & Process Production: Peter & the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev with Isaac Mizrahi, Dance Heginbotham, and Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect conducted by Michael P. Atkinson
• December 9 and 10: Works & Process Production: Princess Lockerooo’s The NutWAACKer: A Dance Concert

Works & Process Guggenheim Rotunda Events

• September 28: Dance Party: SCUFF Queer Country Dancing
• December 13: Holiday Concert: The Metropolitan Opera Chorus Artists

WORKS & PROCESS AT MANHATTAN WEST

Manhattan West Plaza, 385 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10001

Free

Gather Round: Let’s Dance!

Wednesdays in September at 5 pm

• September 9: LayeRhythm
• September 16: Sekou McMiller & Friends: Mambo Dance Party
• September 23: A Barn Dance with Brooklyn Contra
• September 30: New York Swings with Josh Lee and the Family

WORKS & PROCESS AT FREE FOOD REFETTORIO HARLEM

37 West 119th Street, New York, NY 10026

Free

October 2, 7, 16, and 21: Dinner and Performance

5:15–6:45 pm

A gourmet sit-down dinner, prepped and served with love by a dedicated team

5:45–6 pm

Performance by MasterZ at Work Dance Family with Courtney “Balenciaga” Washington: The 24/7 Diner

WORKS & PROCESS COMMISSIONS ON TOUR

• Music From the Sole’s House Is Open, Going Dark
  
  1. September 9–13: Jamestown Dance Festival
• Alien of Extraordinary by Sun Kim Dance Theatre
  
  1. September 9–13: Jamestown Dance Festival
• MasterZ at Work Dance Family with Courtney “Balenciaga” Washington: The 24/7 Diner and ALL INCLUSIVE
  
  1. September 12: Kaatsbaan Cultural Park
• Music From the Sole’s I Didn’t Come to Stay
  
  1. September 26: George Mason University
• Works & Process Production: Brokeback Mountain, The Ballet by Pontus Lidberg and David Conte
  
  1. October 10: Hudson Valley Dance Festival

WORKS & PROCESS 2026–2027 RESIDENCY PROGRAM

Each year, Works & Process produces more than 25 paid, creative residencies with a network of over a dozen partner venues across seven states. Artists and projects are both curated and selected through an open call. Residency support can span the entire life of a project, from first explorations in the studio to final rehearsals for the premiere and even touring. Launched during the pandemic, Works & Process residencies continue to provide longitudinal and made-to-measure support for artists, including industry-leading creative residency fees of $175 per day ($1,225 per week), transportation, health insurance enrollment access, 24/7 studio availability, and on-site housing to facilitate uninterrupted creative process. New this year, each lead artist will receive an additional $1,000 fee in recognition of their administrative labor. Recognizing that the artistic process is a continuum, public engagements during the residencies illuminate the creative process with local communities. Culminating performances in New York City pay artists $450 per artist per performance. For more information, including about community events featured during residencies, visit worksandprocess.org.

RESIDENCY PARTNERS

CO – Green Box Arts

CT – Eugene O’Neill Theater Center

MA – The Adams Theater

NJ – ArtYard

NY – Abrons Arts Center, Bethany Arts Community, Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill Art Space, Catskill Mountain Foundation, The Church in Sag Harbor, CUNY Dance Initiative, Guild Hall of East Hampton, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Modern Accord Depot, Peridance, The Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance, Rhythmic Arts Center NYC, The Watermill Center

TN – Hutton Hotel

VT – The Campus at Marlboro Music

CURATED RESIDENCY ARTISTS

Broken Box Mime Theater

Trisha Brown Dance Company

Chrybaby Cozie

Alex Edelman & Michael R. Jackson

Hudson Valley Shakespeare: The Minotaur by Luis Quintero

Works & Process Co-Commission

KEIGWIN + COMPANY: Stage Door – ArtYard

Limón Dance Company: The Moor’s Pavane by Akram Khan

Works & Process Production

Brokeback Mountain, The Ballet by Pontus Lidberg and David Conte

Princess Lockerooo’s The NutWAACKer: A Dance Concert

In collaboration with Lincoln Center Pasculano Collaborative for Contemporary Dance

2nd Best Dance Company

OPEN CALL RESIDENCY ARTISTS

Julia Antinozzi

J. Bouey Dance Projects

Iman Brooks

Quaba V. Ernest / Venza Dance

Ahtoy Juliana / Baila Society

KR3TS (Keep Rising To The Top)

Jessica Lang

John Manzari

Sekou McMiller & Friends

Jessee Leigh Robinson

Soles of Duende

B. Starke

Doug Varone and Dancers

Adia Tamar Whitaker & Àṣẹ Dance Theater

Tino and Rajika Puri Creative Residency

Jeevika Bhat

SCHEDULED RESIDENCIES

(additional to be confirmed as matches are made)

Alex Edelman & Michael R. Jackson

July 14–19: Hutton Hotel

Works & Process Production: Brokeback Mountain, The Ballet

July 27–August 16: Green Box Arts

October 3–8: Modern Accord Depot

January 4–10: The Campus at Marlboro Music

Works & Process Production: Princess Lockerooo’s The NutWAACKer: A Dance Concert

November 15–21: Bridge Street Theatre

November 30–December 6: Rhythmic Arts Center

Works & Process Co-Commission: KEIGWIN + COMPANY: Stage Door – ArtYard

September 13–26: ArtYard

Trisha Brown Dance Company

October 6–10: Catskill Art Space

Sekou McMiller

December 4–10: Bethany Arts Community

Jessica Lang

December 8–15: Kaatsbaan Cultural Park

B. Starke

December 14–18: Peridance

January 4–10: The Campus at Marlboro Music

2nd Best Dance Company, in collaboration with Lincoln Center Pasculano Collaborative for Contemporary Dance

December 16–19: Catskill Mountain Foundation

Chrybaby Cozie

January 4–10: The Campus at Marlboro Music

John Manzari

January 4–10: Guild Hall of East Hampton

Quaba V. Ernest / Venza Dance

January 4–10: The Church in Sag Harbor

J. Bouey

January 4–10: Bethany Arts Community

Hudson Valley Shakespeare: The Minotaur by Luis Quintero

January 5–10: Eugene O’Neill Theater Center

Works & Process Co-Commission: Limón Dance Company: The Moor’s Pavane by Akram Khan

January 10–17: The Campus at Marlboro Music

KR3TS (Keep Rising To The Top)

January 11–February 1: Bethany Arts Community

Ahtoy Juliana / Baila Society

February 21–28: Bethany Arts Community

Julia Antinozzi

May 18–24: Modern Accord Depot

Works & Process at Guggenheim New York

Paul Taylor Dance Company: Pam Tanowitz and Sarah Crowner

September 14, 7 pm

Go behind the scenes of the Paul Taylor Dance Company’s (PTDC) newest work, a co-commission by American Dance Festival (ADF) from renowned post-modern choreographer Pam Tanowitz. The work brings together vibrant sets by painter Sarah Crowner that complement Tanowitz’s abstracted classical and contemporary movement.

Prior to its premiere at Lincoln Center, experience the thrilling athleticism of the Taylor dancers in performance highlights, and hear from the artists and creative team. ADF director Jodee Nimerichter moderates a discussion with Crowner, Tanowitz, and PTDC artistic director Michael Novak. All are invited to continue the conversation at a reception in the rotunda.

“One of the most exciting, innovating, and delightful dance companies in the entire world.” ––The New York Times

Leadership support for this Works & Process program is provided by Charles and Deborah Adelman.

KEIGWIN + COMPANY:  Stage Door – ArtYard

September 27, 7 pm

Inspired by artists’ lives on the other side of the stage door, experience KEIGWIN + COMPANY’s community-enhanced show that blends professional performers with community members. Artistic director Larry Keigwin and co-choreographer Nicole Wolcott explore the universal themes of acceptance, aging, and finding your place in the world through the lens of the audition.

Culminating a two-week Works & Process residency at ArtYard in Frenchtown, New Jersey, Keigwin, Wolcott, the company’s dancers, and more than thirty community members bring Stage Door to life in a performance filled with backstage antics and surprising emotional moments that capture the imagination and magic of the theater. All are invited to continue the conversation at a reception in the rotunda.

This performance is commissioned and presented in partnership with ArtYard and is the culmination of KEIGWIN + COMPANY’s Works & Process residency at ArtYard.

Rotunda Dance Party: SCUFF Queer Country Dancing

In partnership with Member Mondays

September 28, 7 pm

SCUFF returns to the Guggenheim rotunda for a line dance takeover. In the queer country dance tradition, SCUFF teaches line dancing and partner dancing as a channel for love and self-expression. Beginner-friendly and inclusive of all levels.

Presented in partnership with Guggenheim Member Mondays. Arrive early beginning at 6 pm to explore the museum’s exhibitions before the program; museum admission is included with your ticket.

Miami City Ballet: Patricia Delgado

October 4, 7 pm

In a meaningful full-circle moment for Miami City Ballet, Patricia Delgado returns to the company as a choreographer with a new commission. A Miami native and former Miami City Ballet principal dancer, Delgado has since emerged as an award-winning choreographer whose work spans ballet, theater, and Broadway—most notably, Buena Vista Social Club—and is known for blending classical structure with contemporary freedom and emotionally driven storytelling.

Before the work’s world premiere in Miami this October, see performance highlights and hear from the creative team about their creative process. The commission reflects Miami City Ballet’s ongoing commitment, under the artistic direction of Gonzalo Garcia, to nurture artists whose voices are deeply connected to the company’s history while boldly shaping its future. All are invited to continue the conversation at a reception in the rotunda.

Leadership support for this Works & Process program is provided by Charles and Deborah Adelman, Jeff Davis and Michael Miller, and Eugène and Stephanie Leouzon.

The Metropolitan Opera

Lincoln in the Bardo by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek

October 5, 7 pm

In advance of the world premiere of Lincoln in the Bardo, get an inside look into the creative process behind this haunting new opera. Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb moderates a discussion with composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek about adapting George Saunders’s Booker Prize–winning novel, which follows Abraham Lincoln’s late eleven-year-old son, Willie, as he navigates the “bardo” between this life and the next—and speaks to the members of the production’s creative team about bringing this supernatural story to the Metropolitan Opera stage. Artists from the all-star cast will also perform highlights from the score. All are invited to continue the conversation at a reception in the rotunda following the presentation.

Minnesota Opera

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Kamala Sankaram and Minita Gandhi

October 12, 7 pm

Witness the transformation of BOOM! Studios’ acclaimed comic, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V. and Filipe Andrade, into a vivid and transporting tale for the operatic stage by composer Kamala Sankaram and librettist Minita Gandhi. Commissioned and developed by Minnesota Opera’s groundbreaking New Works Initiative, the opera explores the blurred boundary between divine and human through the lens of magical realism when the goddess of Death is cast down to Earth to live as a mortal named Laila Starr.

Prior to the world premiere, join Ram V., Sankaram, Gandhi, and members of the opera’s creative team––including director Mary Birnbaum, scenic designer Mimi Lien, costume designer Oana Botez, and choreographer Rohit Gijare––for a conversation about their collaborative process, interwoven with cast members performing excerpts. Infused with elements of Konnakol, Raga, and EDM, this fantasy on purpose and impermanence unfolds with both kinetic energy and striking clarity, as a god made mortal begins to see the world––and life itself––through fresh eyes. All are invited to continue the conversation at a reception in the rotunda.

Washington National Opera

O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky  by Christopher Tin and Kelley Rourke

Choreography by Jessica Lang

October 18, 7 pm

Go behind the scenes of this groundbreaking opera-ballet commissioned by Washington National Opera (WNO). Before its world premiere in Spring 2027 in Washington, DC, join artistic director Francesca Zambello, Grammy Award–winning composer Christopher Tin, librettist Kelley Rourke, and choreographer Jessica Lang for a conversation about their collaboration.

O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky  traces the journey of Georgia O’Keeffe as she becomes one of America’s most iconic creative forces, and the people who shaped her along the way. Performance excerpts featuring mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, tenor Bill Burden, and dancers offer a first look at the new production. All are invited to continue the conversation at a reception in the rotunda.

The Santa Fe Opera

Of One Blood by Brett Dean and Heather Betts

October 26, 7 pm

Though buried side by side in Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots—cousins “of one blood”—never met in life. Their intertwined reigns ignited a ruthless clash of faith and power that culminated in Mary’s execution by Elizabeth’s command. Drawing exclusively from the queens’ own letters, poems, and speeches, composer Brett Dean and librettist Heather Betts trace their rivalry in Of One Blood.

Before the opera’s American premiere at Santa Fe Opera in 2027, join the creators for a conversation about the work and hear arias. All are invited to continue the conversation at a reception in the rotunda.

Eugene O’Neill Theater Center: Robert O’Hara
November 2, 7 pm

For more than sixty years, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT has served as the launchpad for American theater—discovering, developing, and empowering new work, new voices, and creative risk-taking. For one night only, go behind the scenes with the O’Neill’s 2026 National Playwrights Conference artist in residence, Robert O’Hara, and artistic director Melia Bensussen.

Learn about O’Hara’s immersive Tennessee Williams experience, which weaves together the structures and characters of A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Sweet Bird of Youth into one work. Before its world premiere at The Shed, hear performance excerpts and learn about the creative process in a conversation with the artists. All are invited to continue the conversation at a reception in the rotunda.

VOX: American Voices Opera Lab

November 16, 7 pm

Join the revival of VOX. Launched by New York City Opera in 1999 to incubate grand scale new operas by contemporary American composers, the long dormant initiative reemerges following a much too long hiatus. A coalition has revived VOX, including American Composers Orchestra, Beth Morrison Projects, MasterVoices, The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Mannes Opera (The New School), the Manhattan School of Music Vocal Arts Division, and PAC NYC.

At Works & Process, learn about this collaboration, and hear highlights of newly written works by composers selected by open call prior to the culminating presentation at PAC NYC on April 1, 2027. Reaffirming VOX’s original mission to champion the next generation of American opera and to provide the field with a vital space for discovery, ambition, and artistic risk on a grand scale, this program offers a glimpse into the creative process behind works that will help shape the future of the art form. All are invited to continue the conversation at a reception in the rotunda.

A Works & Process Production

Peter & the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev with Isaac Mizrahi

Featuring Dance Heginbotham and Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect conducted by Michael P. Atkinson

December 5: 1, 2:30, and 4 pm

December 6: 11 am, 1, and 2:30 pm

December 11: 5:30 and 7 pm

December 12: 11 am, 1, and 2:30 pm

December 13: 11 am, 1, and 2:30 pm

Isaac Mizrahi narrates and directs Sergei Prokofiev’s charming children’s classic Peter & the Wolf, accompanied by Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect and conducted by Michael P. Atkinson. The cast, wearing costumes by Mizrahi, performs choreography by John Heginbotham, bringing the thirty-minute story to life for the young––and the young at heart.

No matter how tall or small, everyone needs a ticket.

A Works & Process Production

Princess Lockerooo’s The NutWAACKer: A Dance Concert

December 9 and 10, 7 pm

Dancer, director, and cultural force Princess Lockerooo returns with her fiercely reimagined holiday classic, The NutWAACKer: A Dance Concert. The elegance of Tchaikovsky’s classical score meets the glitter and raw energy of New York City’s underground dance culture. Don’t miss this tribute to queer brilliance, street culture, and the city’s electrifying legacies of movement.

Bringing together waacking––a queer dance form nearly lost during the AIDS crisis––with vogue, hip-hop, house, and more, this high-impact performance is a kinetic journey through identity, defiance, and holiday magic told through the eyes of a nonbinary youth navigating tradition, resistance, and chosen family in the heart of Central Park.

Rotunda Holiday Concert

The Metropolitan Opera Chorus Artists

December 13, 7 pm

Celebrate the season with members of The Metropolitan Opera Chorus Artists. As part of a beloved annual Works & Process tradition, the singers bring the museum’s iconic Frank Lloyd Wright–designed rotunda to life with the joyous sound of holiday music.

Works & Process Lead Donors

Lead funding provided by AG Foundation, Stuart H. Coleman and Meryl Rosofsky, Adam and Abigail Flatto, Christian Humann Foundation, Leon Levy Foundation, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Tino and Rajika Puri, Stephen Kroll Reidy, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Denise and Andrew Saul, The Evelyn Sharp Foundation, and The SHS Foundation.

Additional support provided by Jody and John Arnhold, Jeff and Susan Campbell, Cate Caruso, Paul Cronson, Lucy and Philip Dobrin, Elizabeth Sharp Edens and Wes Edens, The Fanwood Foundation, Bart Friedman and Wendy Stein, Nina Matis, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Leon Polsky, Caroline M. Sharp, Randall Sharp, The Shubert Foundation, and Eugene and Jean Stark.

Works & Process is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

About Works & Process

The magic is in the process.

We let you in on the secret.

Works & Process supports creative process from studio to stage so that performing artists can create with dignity. We produce fully funded residencies and present behind-the-scenes events that blend artist discussion and performance highlights. Our events go beyond the stage, so that audiences can spectate, participate, and continue the conversation at hosted receptions.

Each year, Works & Process produces more than 25 creative residencies with over a dozen partners in seven states. These out-of-town residencies provide 24/7 studio access, on-site housing, access to health insurance enrollment, industry-leading artist fees, and a transportation stipend to facilitate uninterrupted creative process. In over 100 Works & Process residencies, supporting over 1,000 artists, incubated works have gone on to receive awards, grants, and tour nationally—and internationally, with the U.S. State Department.

Beyond Guggenheim New York, we also partner with organizations across New York City, including 92NY, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Jerome Robbins Dance Division, and Free Food Refettorio Harlem. During the fall, we curate and present free outdoor dance programs with Manhattan West.

Works and Process, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID: 13-3592291

Stay connected: @worksandprocess